Niger wants to work with Alibaba to train entrepreneurs

Niger in Africa is ready to cooperate with Alibaba, China's e-commerce giant, in training more Nigerian young entrepreneurs with their internet startups, said Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou on Sunday.

Issoufou, who is visiting China, toured the Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou and met with Zhang Yong, CEO of Alibaba Group.

"The digital economy has brought forth new opportunities to the younger generation in the developing nations, and poor areas as well. It is our mission to build the world into a better-connected community, thanks to the advancement in the digital technological sector," Zhang said.

Alibaba's eFounders Fellowship program, a joint initiative by the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) and Alibaba Business School, has so far trained 165 young entrepreneurs globally to help them with their internet startups. Among them, 90 are from Africa.